Thursday, May 29, 2008

The past two weeks have been horrible. The boy went on a two-week Megajam and I decided that would be a good time to get George neutered. Unfortunately there were complications so I spent most of that two weeks trying to keep the pup quiet and calm while giving him multiple hot compresses each day. Trying to keep a boxer pup quiet is near impossible. Pair him up with another boxer and you can only imagine the Hell I was in. Boxers are not made to be calm and quiet dogs. They're puppies even when they're full grown. George is fine now but I'm not sure I will ever be the same. *laugh*

I have a 10k this Sunday. This means I shall be running 12 miles over the weekend. Go me! Saturday is a 6 mile TNT run along the lakefront and Sunday is a 6 mile run through the zoo. I am so excited about the zoo! I hope they have elephants again.

I still haven't finished the quilt I was making for my TNT fundraising. The dog issues set that back. I am hoping to get that finished soon. And I am planning a yard sale so I win both ways... I get to clear out my house and make money for TNT. I have 5 boxes of books I was planning on donating to the local library for their book sales but I think I'll sell them in my yard sale and bump up my fundraising. I also need to mail in checks tomorrow.

Thanks so much to my dad Tony and Jane, Gene and Cathy, Meef and Bruce and Larry and Karen for supporting me by donating to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society!

Friday, May 16, 2008

George is home and recuperating after being snipped. He is banned from rough play and running for a week which means I have to run solo. I am nervous about leaving him in the crate tomorrow while I do my Team in Training run. I don't want him to lick his incisions but I am worried about putting him in the crate with his collar. I'll have to test it today and see how he does. I think that means I'll have to take the divider out of the crate and give him full space to move. It's a 5 mile run and a fundraising clinic after so that means about 4 hours alone for the pups.I have raised $350 of my $3000 goal. Do ahead, donate! It's a wonderful cause and it is 100% tax deductible!

Thanks to my seester Rene and my boy Ted for the dough! I love you both!

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

I started doing yoga yesterday which was lovely. And I made it through my dvd up until the cooldown point. That is when Friday saw me stretched out on the floor and decided to attack. It's hard to cool down when you have floppy boxer lips hanging over your face. She kept licking me which made me laugh so I had to get up and squoosh her. Poor George was doing some crate time which seemed the safest way for me to do yoga. He was not happy about it since Friday was out and about.

TNT talked about stretching at our last meeting and I am not very flexible so yoga seemed a good way to go about bettering that. The dvd I purchased is some "Yoga for Athletes" (yeah, I'm laughing also... athlete? me?) and I definitely felt my leg muscles stretching during some of the poses. I felt pretty wobbly once I was done, all loose and warm, so I guess the poses do what they're supposed to. They only one that gave me grief was the one where one leg is raised and the foot placed on the inside thigh of the other leg and you just stand there. I couldn't get my foot high enough and since I and loose pants on, my foot kept pulling on the fabric and sliding down. I think I need to wear my short compression shorts next time. I kept laughing while trying to do that pose but eventually I managed some semblance of it.

My morning running buddy is going in to get neutered this morning. That means I'll be flying solo the rest of the week. Maybe I'll see if Friday can run alongside me without pulling if she wears her new Sporn harness.

Tea! My queendom for some tea! How have I been up for 45 minutes without making tea first?

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

I'm behind in my post but Saturday the 10th was my first Team in Training Saturday run. 7am sharp we met down at the lakefront. It was coldcoldcold so I remembered to wear my gloves. I do admit to being very nervous since I'm pretty introverted and TNT is a very extroverted group. And I didn't know a soul there. I checked in (they do a check-in and check-out so they know no one is lost along the trail) and looked for my mentor. There were 3 other teammates there so we chatted before starting out. TNT starts the runs by pace, fastest out first and slowest pace last. I must have looked confused because one of the coaches came up and pointed me to the slow pacers. He didn't make me feel at all self-conscious about being slow and cheered me on for being there and said I would get faster because that is what TNT is all about.

It was a 4 mile run and the weather was cold but bright and sunny. Every time a TNT group passed by they cheered. It was a little disconcerting to have strangers cheering me on by name (we had nametags on) but I got used to it eventually. One woman told me to keep smiling and be happy. I didn't realize I was smiling but that ended up making me laugh. It was a good run and the only thing that makes running difficult for me is the cardio aspect. It's what slows me down but I am determined to push things more so I don't have to worry about my lungs feeling like they will explode.

Near the end the coach that started me out met back up with me and asked me how my gloves were treating me (I'd since taken them off once my fingers regained warmth, damned Raynaud's). I said was a bit toasty but it was near the end so I just kept my jacket on. This got me pointed out as an overdresser later in the "Starting Out" clinic. I laughed but didn't stand up and explain that I had a medical condition that called for gloves.

TNT is a fun group. I still feel like an outsider because so many people there have run with TNT before and they know what to expect. I have no idea what to expect and that always makes me wary. But I can totally see why everyone raves about training with TNT. I can't imagine a more supportive group. They do so much! They take care of water and snacks (and later they bring energy snacks) and lip balm. They have a group picnic and a pasta dinner. They have clinics after runs. There is no way to feel lost there.

This Saturday we do 5 miles. I never really feel I am into running until I hit that 6-8 mile run. Mostly I start out feeling like this is the most ridiculous thing I have ever done. I could barely be pushed into playing outside as a child! And now I am getting up early on a Saturday morning to go run with a group. It is pretty comical and I think that is why I do it. The endorphins help also. *laugh*

My running buddy George is still keeping up on our morning runs. I feel bad that Friday is left behind but she pulls too much. George just trots alongside me. Too bad I can't run a marathon with him!

Friday, May 09, 2008

The weather change has giving me a terrible headache for the past two days. It still lingers this morning but isn't blinding. I hope there isn't one tomorrow because I don't want to have my first Team in Training group run with a headache.

Speaking of which, the TNT group runs on Saturday start at 7am along the lakefront. This means it will be cold. Cold and lovely. The path along the lakefront is really pretty in the morning. I wonder how busy it will be. I still think I look ridiculous running, I feel silly anyway. Especially when I wear my running tights because those things are tight! I have two pair with skirts so I feel less conspicuous in them. I know I don't look as bad as I think I do but I still get nervous because I don't think I look how a runner should look. I just have to keep telling myself that at least I'm out there and trying.

I am looking forward to Saturday even though I usually don't care for group things like that. I may like it now. I really think I am getting the better end of the TNT deal. I just have to raise $3000. TNT does so much more! They have the weekly training sessions plus some clinics afterwards. They set you up with mentors and coaches. They have pasta dinners the night before the race. They even fly you out and pay for your room for out-of-state races. They cheer you on at each race. I mean really! I raise money for a great cause and get all that in return!

The difficult thing for me has been hearing and reading about the cancer patients. My grandma died of cancer in 1991 right before my 21st birthday and I still think of her every day. Hearing and reading about the honored teammates brings it all back. I remember the Sunday morning I got the phone call. I knew why the phone was ringing and I couldn't answer it. I got up, got ready for work and drove in. My manager Fred met me at the door and told me I needed to call my mom. I knew why and I just started to cry. Fred took me into his office to make the call and told me to take the day off. I don't remember much of the rest of the day. I know I drove down to my grandma's house later that day. Everything was such a blur. I don't remember Christmas day. I don't remember my birthday. I do remember the day after my birthday because that is the day she was buried. My place of employment at the time was right by the cemetery and I would go there before work and afterwards just to visit her. If the tips were good that day I would bring flowers.

It still hurts. I miss my grandma. I miss visiting her in her antique store. I miss hanging out with her at her home. She was always so proud of my sister and me. She kept our photos on the wall behind her cash register and introduced me to everyone who came into the shop. She kept trying to make a match between me and the son of a friend of hers. I miss her smell of cigarette smoke and Nestea and nail polish and some perfume I've never known the name of. I miss her showing me her dolls and teddy bears. I miss that I wasn't there that morning.

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That random bio stuffs...

I am female, pro-choice, pro-gay rights, childfree, a pacifist, an environmentalist, a believer in the goodness of others, an atheist and an American who believes in the right to question those in authority and expect them to make intelligent decisions for my country. None of these things make me un-American or unpatriotic.